Just 15 minutes after the in-store launch of the new iPad, lines in many Apple Stores have dwindled to nothing. And it’s not a case of Apple’s excellent employees being so efficient that they managed to move all the opening day stock in a quarter of an hour. It just seems there’s not so much demand for it.
According to UK blog Pocket Lint, London’s Regent Street Apple Store was clear by 10:15 AM this morning, with plenty of stock (only the 16GB Wi-Fi 4G model was sold old, which nobody should buy anyway). And Cult of Mac’s own line-waiter Brittany Morford tweeted from the Apple Store in Boston, MA: “Within fifteen minutes, the line has dissipated.” You can see her photo above.
Why would this be? The demand for the new iPad is clearly off the charts. Pre-orders melted Apple’s servers last week, and shipping dates have been quickly slipping to weeks instead of days.
My guess is that people either pre-ordered, or the just went somewhere else. In the U.S, Best Buy is selling the new iPad already, and in the UK most high-street electronics and department stores have stocks, too. Why wait in line with the dorks when you can just buy one from the store next to your office?
We won’t know for sure until Apple releases its launch-day numbers, but it looks like there might actually be stock to cope with demand. And if that’s the case, I am pretty optimistic that I will be able to secure one of my own when they come to sunny Spain next Friday.
